


honey, come put your lips on mine

by peytonpeach



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Professors, Art Professor Mollymauk, First Kiss, History Professor Caleb, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, caleb doesnt know how to function, molly thinks it's cute tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27036673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peytonpeach/pseuds/peytonpeach
Summary: And then he’s turning away with a wave over his shoulder and Caleb wants more, and his heart is screaming please don’t leave right now, please don’t ever leave.
Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 5
Kudos: 140





	honey, come put your lips on mine

**Author's Note:**

> title from "Talk Too Much" by COIN  
> unofficial title: pen pals  
> tumblr is softvaxildan!

There are few things Caleb treasures in this world: Frumpkin’s orange fur shining in the morning light, the way Nott squeezes back when he picks her up to hug her, the scent of coffee in the morning. One more, which he isn’t sure is a blessing or a curse: the lavender tiefling with the garish fashion sense that pops into his office frequently. His smile is full of mischief and his shirts are always bright enough they hurt Caleb’s sleep-deprived eyes. 

He knows Nott would slap him for ignoring the squeeze of his heart as the tiefling enters once again. His apron, once burgundy and now covered in splashes of every color possible, barely hides the hot pink tank top underneath it. Caleb lets himself stare at his arms for a couple seconds before forcing his gaze up to the red eyes and puzzled expression before him. 

“Mr. Caleb,” Mollymauk Tealeaf (Molly to his friends) says slowly. He leans against the bookshelf opposite Caleb. “Someone keeps stealing my pens, and well, the school only supplies so many. I’d hate to spend paint money on  _ pens _ .”

Caleb hums affirmatively. He’s not sure why Mollymauk comes to his office (and sometimes his classroom) so often. He introduced himself to the art professor, as one does, and the tiefling latched onto him. He wonders why someone like Molly would pick someone like himself. 

“Do your students steal your supplies? I mentioned to let me know if they needed anything but I simply cannot do without at least one pen in my room.” Mollymauk has an extravagant way of speaking that enraptures Caleb in any topic, and seemingly implies that he’s speaking about some great tragedy instead of an eighteen year old stealing his writing utensils. “Oh, Mr. Caleb, have you any experience with this particular issue?”

Caleb coughs. “Well, Mr. Mollymauk, I… my class is set up much differently than yours. As a history professor I really only lecture, but the arts are much more… involved.” Molly nods. “Ja. This means my students barely use supplies I must provide, other than when necessary. So our… situations are not quite so similar where I can give you advice.”

Mollymauk sighs and drops his head into his hands. “Of course, of course. Quite understandable. Well, I will be off to buy more pens, then.”

And then he’s turning away with a wave over his shoulder and Caleb wants  _ more,  _ and his heart is screaming _ please don’t leave right now, please don’t ever leave.  _

“Mr. Mollymauk! I have—uh, pens here.” Caleb opens a drawer noisily and looks up and Molly is leaning over the desk with an excited grin trying to get a peek into his desk. Caleb looks back down with a blush and grabs the box of his nicest pens, holding one out to the professor before him. “My friend, Nott, er…  _ bought _ them for me.”

“Oh, Professor Widogast, how wonderful!” The tiefling grins and holds the pen close to his chest as he spins around. “Thank you!”

“Maybe keep this one… in your apron or something, ja?” He smiles shyly and stands up, grabbing his tattered coat. Molly nods. “I, ahem, am leaving for the night. Would you like me to walk you back to the studio?”

“That’d be lovely.” Mollymauk smiles in return and wraps his hand around Caleb’s shoulder as they walk. It takes all of his willpower not to flinch from the touch, but he’s glad when it stays. Mollymauk is… warm, and against the late autumn weather it is welcome. His whole being suddenly wants to be as close to Molly as possible, to curl against him like a cat. He longs for their fingers to interlock, and he wonders what the tiefling’s lips would feel like against his own. He blushes as he realizes Mollymauk has been talking about the weather the whole time he’s been daydreaming. “...and don’t you just love the way the leaves look on campus right now?”

He faces Caleb at the end of his question and they’re so close together that Molly’s breath on his face makes him shiver. “Ah… ja, yes, I do.”

Molly smiles and releases his hold from Caleb’s shoulder, his hand patting his back before retracting. Caleb shrinks into his coat as a sudden wave of cold washes over him. 

“Well, this is me.” Molly says. The art studio looms over them and Caleb never expected himself to be this sad every time he has to say goodbye to Mollymauk. 

“Ja. Goodbye, Mr. Mollymauk.” Caleb offers a fake smile as he looks up to see Molly smirking down at him. 

“Oh, you’re hopeless.” Molly looks around before pulling Caleb in by the threadbare lapel of his coat and kissing him slowly. 

Caleb makes a surprised noise into the tiefling’s mouth and Molly lets go of his lapel, giving him space to leave this. Instead, Caleb brings a hand up to cup Mollymauk’s cheek and revels in the pleased hum he receives. Their lips move slowly and they take their time before hearing a whistle from the main path and separating. Caleb pulls back his hand and Molly catches it to press a kiss to his knuckles, and he’s not used to this tenderness. 

“Caleb?” Only then does he realize he’s crying, and Molly reaches up to wipe the tears from his eyes. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Are you okay?”

Caleb brings a hand up to cover Molly’s. He closes his eyes and nods. “Ja, ja, I just…”

“You don’t have to explain. Hey,” Molly kisses his forehead. “You want a cup of tea?”

Caleb nods again, and smiles as Molly leads him up to his classroom. He turns on an electric kettle and fixes two mugs (more beautiful than Caleb has ever seen, and he wonders if students made them for Molly). He sits Caleb down into his chair and hands him a mug before sitting on the desk in front of him with his own. 

“You don’t have to tell me what triggered that, I just… was that okay? I know it was sudden, but I like you, and I think… I think you like me, too.” Molly ducks his head and Caleb realizes he’d never seen him blush before now. It turns his cheeks a beautiful deep purple. 

“I do. Ja.” He stands from the chair, setting the mug of tea down before leaning up to kiss Mollymauk Tealeaf again, and again, and again. 


End file.
